- Launching the First National Index on Homeowner Energy Resilience
- Key Findings from the Index: Awareness and Intent
- Barriers to Adoption: What’s Holding Homeowners Back?
- How Households Can Contribute to a Smarter, More Resilient System
- What Canadians Should Consider When Planning Home Backup Power
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Canadians Embrace Solar Power, Confront Barriers, and Build Energy Resilience
Canadians Gauge Home Energy Resilience — New National Index Reveals Gaps in Solar + Storage Adoption
- Launching the First National Index on Homeowner Energy Resilience
- Key Findings from the Index: Awareness and Intent
- Barriers to Adoption: What’s Holding Homeowners Back?
- How Households Can Contribute to a Smarter, More Resilient System
- What Canadians Should Consider When Planning Home Backup Power
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Canadians Embrace Solar Power, Confront Barriers, and Build Energy Resilience
Across Canada, homeowners are increasingly considering energy resilience as outages become longer and more frequent. New research released this fall provides a picture of how prepared Canadians are and the major gaps that still remain. With fresh data on solar, storage, and household readiness, these reports offer insights into how homeowners view energy resilience, what’s holding them back, and what needs to change to support wider clean-energy adoption.
Launching the First National Index on Homeowner Energy Resilience
September 2025 marked the launch of the first national index on homeowner energy resilience. The IONix Canadian Homeowners Energy Readiness Index (Index) tracks the adoption of home energy storage and awareness of available incentives. It’s based on a survey of more than 900 Canadian single-family and townhouse homeowners, and it will track Canada’s progress toward energy resilience and homeowner readiness every quarter.
Clean Energy Canada also released its Empowering Households report this September, which conducted its own survey, identified barriers to the adoption of clean energy technologies, and recommended solutions. The release of these reports highlights the growing importance of this topic to Canadians.
Key Findings from the Index: Awareness and Intent
The Index found interesting results regarding awareness and intent around energy resilience:
Only 27% of homeowners are aware of rebates and interest-free loans.
67% of Canadian homes have no power backup system.
Over 80% of homeowners experienced a power outage last year.
Only 2.4% of homeowners own a home battery.
43% of homeowners plan to purchase home battery storage systems in the next few years.
Nearly 70% say reducing reliance on the grid is important.
The Empowering Homes report had complementary results showing Canadians are open to clean technology:
76% of people support incentives like rebates, zero-interest loans, and investments in public EV charging, with only 13% opposed.
59% of people say they’re inclined to buy an EV as their next car.
57% of respondents said they want their next home to be energy smart.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 Solar Generator (PV400W)
Barriers to Adoption: What’s Holding Homeowners Back?
The Index found that 50% of respondents stated that cost is the biggest factor holding them back from adopting clean energy, and another 27% cited a lack of knowledge. The Empowering Households report broke down its results by respondent type, from eco-friendly people to skeptics. Their report found that across all respondent groups, cost and lack of knowledge were also the primary barriers to adoption, confirming the Index's results.
The findings of both reports highlight the need for better education. For instance, 50% cite cost, yet only 27% are aware of the significant rebates, tax credits, interest-free loans, and other incentives available to all Canadians. Those incentives significantly reduce up-front costs—often by several thousands of dollars—essentially removing the cost barrier.
How Households Can Contribute to a Smarter, More Resilient System
Canadian households can make their homes resilient by purchasing whole-home generators to stay powered if the grid goes down.
When you use solar batteries powered by products like the EcoFlow 400W Portable Solar Panel, you also make the grid more resilient by reducing electricity demand. You can further strengthen the grid by selling any excess energy you produce back to it. You can also participate in a virtual power plant (VPP), which draws energy from your solar panels and home batteries during peak demand, sending it to the grid and reducing the risk of outages.
What Canadians Should Consider When Planning Home Backup Power
Here are some things to consider when planning a home backup power system.
Energy Needs
First, assess your energy needs. Whole-home backups are larger and often require professional installation. To determine your minimum backup capacity, calculate your maximum daily kWh of usage from your electrical bill.
You can also purchase smaller portable systems that don’t require professional installation. These are perfect for running essential appliances like fridges or medical equipment. Make a list of your essential appliances and their running watts, then multiply each by the number of hours it runs each day. Add them all up to get your minimum capacity.
DELTA 3 Classic Portable Power Station
Regional Outage Risks
Consider the frequency and duration of power outages in your area. Some Canadians experience one brief outage a year, while others may have five or more, lasting several days.
Recharging Options
Look for batteries with versatile charging options, including AC wall plugs, DC car plugs, solar, and more.
The EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 Solar Generator (PV400W) comes with a solar panel. Solar is environmentally friendly, available anywhere, and it also reduces the time it takes to recover your investment and makes charging your batteries free.
Compatibility With VPPs
As more provinces and utilities roll out VPPs, you should also ensure your products support remote monitoring and smart-grid connectivity to be compatible with VPPs.
Budget
If budget is your most significant factor, remember, there are substantial government and utility rebates, credits, and other incentives available. You might be surprised by how little you end up paying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Renewable Energy Projects Qualify for Government Incentives in Canada?
Yes, renewable energy projects qualify for significant government incentives in Canada. At the federal level, there’s a 30% federal tax credit, plus grants of $ 5,000 and interest-free loans of up to $40,000. Provinces and municipalities typically offer additional incentives.
How Long Does It Take to Recover the Cost of Solar and Storage Systems?
How long it takes to recover the costs of solar and storage systems depends on your electricity rates, energy consumption, location, and available incentives. Many people recover their costs in 4-7 years, although it can take longer for some.
Canadians Embrace Solar Power, Confront Barriers, and Build Energy Resilience
Canada’s first national index on homeowner energy readiness shows a clear trend: Canadians want more clean energy, but cost and awareness are major barriers. With better education about incentives for solar and battery storage, households can strengthen the resilience of both their homes and the grid. For those looking to build reliable backup power today, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 Solar Generator (PV400W) offers an affordable, scalable starting point.